Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that enable the resilience of learners with severe intellectual impairment in a school for learners with special needs. Resilience refers to a capacity to recover from adversity. Resilience is the ability to handle risk well. Resilience is the process of adjusting to or growing as a result of a traumatic life event. Resilience is the ability of a system to react efficiently to obstacles that pose a harm to its existence, functionality, or potential growth. Resilience is the capacity of a child to identify the psychological, social, and physical resources required for their well-being and to make culturally appropriate verbal and nonverbal demands to access these resources. The study used a qualitative approach, with an interpretive paradigm and phenomenological research design to achieve this purpose. The purposively selected sample consisted of four male and two female learners with severe intellectual impairment from a special needs school in Gauteng, South Africa. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Ungar’s social-ecological theory of resilience was used as a theoretical framework for this study. The findings showed that individual factors, relationships with others (caregivers and peers) and contextual factors enhanced their resilience. This study concluded that stakeholders such as parents, educators, SBST, DBST specialists, other service providers, and government agencies (such as the Departments of Health and Social Development) have a responsibility to make meaningful resilience resources accessible. Resources include anything that is readily available to us in our surroundings and that supports our ability to meet our needs and desires on an individual, economic, educational, social, cultural, and technological level. Learners with severe intellectual impairment use these resources in ways that are relevant to them individually and to their culture.
Keywords:
Learners; resilience factors, resources, severe intellectual impairment, social ecological theory